This application relates generally to the identification of turbulence. More particularly, this application relates to the identification of levels of turbulence by hazard warning systems.
Hazardous weather generally includes turbulence. Hazard warning systems are often configured to detect turbulence and utilized in a variety of applications including vehicle weather warning systems, such as aircraft weather warning systems (e.g., aircraft weather radar systems). With the large amount of air traffic and rising fuel costs, pilots are interested in identifying levels of turbulence so they do not unnecessarily avoid flight routes through non-hazardous weather. Turbulence levels above certain thresholds can be dangerous to the aircraft, crew and passengers and/or cause significant discomfort, while lower levels of turbulence may only affect ride quality of the flight. Accordingly, accurate identification and display of turbulence and its levels are desirable.
Pilots generally rely upon avionic weather radar systems to detect turbulence. Weather radar systems generally include an antenna, a receiver/transmitter circuit, a processor, and display. The processor is coupled between the display and the receiver/transmitter circuit. The receiver/transmitter circuit is coupled between the processor and the antenna. The processor commands transmit signals through the receiver/transmitter circuit to the antenna to transmit radar beams. The processor receives radar return signals derived from radar returns received by the antenna. The radar return signals are provided to the processor via the receiver/transmitter circuit.
Conventionally, the radar return signals are processed to provide graphical images to a radar display. The radar display is typically a color display providing graphical images in color to represent the severity of weather. Some aircraft systems also include other hazard warning systems such as a turbulence detection system. The turbulence detection system can provide indications of the presence of turbulence or other hazards on the display and can be part of the weather radar system.
Conventional aircraft hazard weather radar systems, such as the WXR 2100 MultiScan™ radar system manufactured by Rockwell Collins, Inc., have Doppler capabilities and are capable of detecting at least four parameters: weather range, weather reflectivity, weather velocity, and weather spectral width or velocity variation. The weather reflectivity is typically scaled to and displayed as green, yellow, and red color levels that are related to rainfall rate. The radar-detected radial velocity variation or spectral width can be scaled to a turbulence level and displayed as magenta.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,161,525 discloses the display of levels of turbulence on a weather radar display using speckled or dotted areas. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standard TSO C63d specifies that if two levels of turbulence are displayed, the severe turbulence area must be distinguished from the lighter level of turbulence.
Thus, there is a need for a system for and/or a method of more accurate display of turbulence. There is also need for a system that can display levels of turbulence in a readily identifiable fashion. There is also a need for ensuring that even small areas of high turbulence are displayed and identifiable. There is also a need to display small areas of higher turbulence when they are located in larger regions of ride quality turbulence. Yet further, there is a need for a aircraft hazard warning system optimized to highlight at least one higher level of turbulence.
It would be desirable to provide a system and/or method that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.